Pluggable drive carrier assembly

ABSTRACT

A computer system with a pluggable drive carrier assembly comprises a cabinet and a circuit board disposed within the cabinet. The circuit board, such as a base board, has a number of connectors attached to a first surface. A drive unit such as a hard disk drive is secured within a carrier. A logic connector and a power connector are adapted to attach to the drive. A flexible circuit assembly connects the logic connector and the power connector to a blind plug. The blind plug is adapted to mate with any of the number of connectors. A cam surface and lever arrangement is used to urge into engagement the blind plug and the selected one of the number of connectors. The logic connector and the power connector both have a number of contacts that extend in a direction generally parallel to the first surface of the circuit board such that a backplane is not required and can be eliminated.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/693,259, which was filed on Oct. 20, 2000 and which issued as U.S.Pat. No. 6,424,523 on Jul. 23, 2002. The priority of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/224,665, filed Aug. 11, 2000, which was copendingwith the parent application, also is hereby claimed. In addition, thedisclosure of that provisional application is hereby expresslyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to peripheral computing devicessuch as disk drives, and more particularly to pluggable drive carrierassemblies.

2. Description of Related Art

Modern computers often include one or more peripheral devices such ashard-disk drives, CD-ROM drives, and DVD drives. These devices typicallyinclude motors and mechanisms for spinning the storage media and formoving read heads or read/write heads, and also include circuitry forcontrolling mechanical movement as well as the transfer of data. As thecost of nonvolatile, solid state memories decreases, it is also becomingfeasible to use solid state drives that have no moving parts. Thesesolid state drives may use the same form factors and storage protocolsas conventional drives to facilitate substitution.

For many applications, it is desirable to be able to insert or remove adrive while the computer system is operating. For example, computernetworks commonly include servers that include arrays of hot-pluggabledisk drives. These disk arrays are typically configured according to aRAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) configuration in which amalfunctioning drive can be replaced without bringing the disk arrayoff-line, and without causing any loss of data.

In RAID and other disk array subsystems, the drives are commonly mountedon separate trays or carriers and inserted side-by-side into a cavitydefined within a computer housing or cabinet. An internal sheet metalchassis of the computer defines or receives guides for aligningconnectors on the drives with mating connectors on a rigid backplane. Insuch systems, the backplane defines an inner wall of the cavity andprovides electrical interconnections to and from the mating connectors.Holes often are provided through the backplane to accommodate a coolingairflow through the cavity. In some arrangements the backplane ispassive (i.e., does not provide electrical connections) while in otherarrangements the backplane contains electrical connectors or componentsfor communicating with the disk drives.

Typically, a computer system having a RAID-type subsystem has aso-called tower configuration wherein the computer system is taller thanit is wide, as opposed to a desktop configuration wherein the computersystem is wider than it is tall. The individual drives are typicallymounted in the computer system such that each drive can be extracted andinserted through the front of the computer system cabinet. In order toaccommodate this feature, the backplane for the RAID-type subsystem ismounted with the backplane perpendicular to the sidewalls of thecomputer system. The sides of the cabinet, the front of the cabinet andthe backplane together define a drive cage.

The traditional construction, however, is complex and bulky. Thebackplane is connected to further circuit boards and controllers throughcabling. In addition, the perpendicular backplane occupies additionalspace relative to the further circuit boards and controllers. Moreover,due to the fixed nature of the backplane relative to the cabinet and thefixed nature of the storage units relative to the cabinet, the propermating of the backplane and the storage units requires rather precisepositioning of the two relative to one another. This proper mating isfurther complicated by the lack of conformity from storage unit type tostorage unit type that result in differing connectors and connectorlocations.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention involves a pluggable drive carrierfor drives. The carrier comprises a flex circuit with single-sidedmounting of a plurality of connectors. The plurality of connectorscomprises a blind connector and a second connector. The blind connectoris adapted to couple with a right angle docking connector attached to abase board. The flex circuit is folded such that said second connectorextends in a first direction and said blind connector extends in asecond direction that is opposite of said first direction.

Another aspect of the present invention involves a computer systemcomprising a circuit board and a first connector mounted to said circuitboard. A drive is secured to a carrier and has a drive connectordisposed on a surface. The circuit board extends in a directiongenerally normal to said surface. The carrier comprises a flexiblecircuit and said flexible circuit comprises a mating connector and ablind-plug. The mating connector is adapted to connect to said driveconnector and said blind-plug is adapted to couple to said firstconnector.

A further aspect of the present invention involves an electronic systemcomprising an enclosure and a base board positioned within saidenclosure. The base board comprises a docking connector that is fixed toa surface of said base board. A drive carrier is adapted for insertioninto said enclosure along a first axis. A drive is disposed within saiddrive carrier and has a connector disposed along a first surface. Thefirst axis extends in a direction generally parallel to said base boardand a flexible circuit extends between said connector of said drive andsaid docking connector of said base board.

Another aspect of the present invention involves a pluggable drivecarrier. The carrier comprises a carrier body adapted to receive a driveand has an outside surface. A blind plug connector is mounted to saidoutside surface and a flexible circuit is connected to said outsidesurface. The flexible circuit is electrically coupled to said blind plugconnector. A second connector is secured to said flexible circuit andsaid second connector is capable of being disposed within said carrierbody.

Yet another aspect of the present invention involves an electronicsystem comprising an enclosure having an opening. An insertion passageis defined within said enclosure and has one end terminating at saidopening. The insertion passage defines an insertion axis. A carrier iscapable of insertion into said opening along said insertion passage. Abase board is disposed within said enclosure with a connector mounted tosaid base board. A cooperating blind connector is disposed on saidcarrier and said baseboard is positioned parallel to said insertionaxis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will now be described with reference to the drawings of apreferred embodiment, which embodiment is intended to illustrate and notto limit the invention, and in which figures:

FIG. 1 is a top-front perspective view of a cabinet with a carrierinstalled, the carrier is configured and arranged in accordance withcertain features, aspects and advantages of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top-rear perspective view of the cabinet and carrier of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a top-rear perspective view of several components relating tothe carrier and the carrier mounting arrangement shown in an explodedformat to illustrate the separate components;

FIG. 4 is a top-rear perspective view of several components that form adocking clamp that is configured and arranged in accordance with certainfeatures, aspects and advantages of the present invention, thecomponents are shown in an exploded format to illustrate the separatecomponents;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a guide pin block, docking connectorand a carrier illustrating a position of a base board relative to saidcarrier and a direction of insertion of the carrier;

FIG. 6 is a top-front perspective exploded view of the carrier assembly;and

FIG. 7 is another top-front perspective exploded view of the carrierassembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With initial reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a cabinet 10 for a computersystem is illustrated therein. The cabinet 10 can be any type of box,frame or enclosure suitable for housing computer components, includingstorage drives such as hard disk drives, optical drives, tape back-updrives, and solid state drives. The cabinet 10 has been illustratedwithout the aesthetic covers normally associated with such cabinets. Ofcourse, the cabinet can also comprise such covers. The computer systemmay, for example, be a network-attached storage server system whichincludes an array of hot pluggable disk drives

In the illustrated arrangement, the cabinet 10 comprises a bottom wall12, a first side wall 14, a second side wall 16, a rear wall 18 and afront wall 20. Additionally, the illustrated cabinet 10 comprises anumber of internal walls that define a number of rooms or chamberswithin the cabinet 10. All of these walls in the illustrated arrangementinclude a number of holes, apertures, protrusions, recesses and otherconstructions used to mount, secure, affix, or orient a number ofcomponents that will complete the computer system.

A base board 22, which functions in some respects similar to abackplane, is placed within the cabinet such that air flows over thelarger upper surface 24 of the base board 22. Preferably, the base board22 is spaced from the bottom wall 12 in any suitable manner. Suchspacing facilitates a cooling airflow A over the larger bottom surfaceof the base board 22 as well. In other words, the base board 22generally comprises a top surface 24 and a bottom surface that arespaced from each other by very small side surfaces and the air flowthrough the cabinet 10 generally is parallel to the top surface 24 andthe bottom surface. Such a cooling airflow A is facilitated by the lackof an enlarged perpendicular back plane that extends across the cabinet10 and that obstructs the airflow through the cabinet 10.

A number of right angle docking connectors 26 are disposed along thebase board 22. In one arrangement, eight docking connectors 26 are used.In other arrangements, such as those useful in lower cost systems, lessthan eight docking connectors 26 can be provided. In yet other, highcost, high performance systems, more than eight docking connectors 26can be provided.

The width of the illustrated docking connector 26 preferably is sizedfor optimal placement. As will be explained, a carrier 28 docks to thedocking connector 26 in a manner that will also be explained.Accordingly, optimizing placement of the docking connectors 26 takesinto consideration the minimal spacing between adjacent carriers 28 suchthat each carrier 28 can be minimally spaced from the next carrier 28(i.e., minimal pitch). In one arrangement, the connector has a width ofapproximately 30 mm. Of course, the width can be varied depending uponthe application or the components being connected.

The docking connectors 26 generally comprise a number of contacts (i.e.,60 in some applications). Preferably, there are sufficient contacts toprovide a signal conductor, a signal-ground conductor, a powerconductor, and a power-ground conductor. These contact and conductorcombinations can be used to establish an electrical communicationbetween the base board 22 and a particular type of peripheral device,such as a hard drive. The drive may, for example, be an ATA (AdvancedTechnology Attachment) or a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)drive.

In addition, one aspect of the present invention results from the uniqueconstruction of the docking connectors 26. More particularly, thedocking connectors have an input end that extends in a direction that isnot parallel, or otherwise collinear with the output end. In theillustrated arrangement, for instance, the input end (i.e., the open endprior to connection with a drive) extends in a direction that isgenerally 90 degrees from the output end (i.e., the end mating with thebase board 22). This arrangement facilitates connection of severaldrives to the base board 22 without the use of a backplane that extendsgenerally normal to the illustrated base board 22 and that spans thewidth and height of the cabinet 10. It is anticipated that the dockingconnectors 26 can turn the leads from the input end to the output endvarying amounts; however, the generally right angle bend shown in theillustrated arrangement advantageously results in improved matingbetween the docking connector 26 and a flexible circuit assembly 30 andin improved airflow patterns through the cabinet 10.

A guide pin block 32 is used to secure each docking connector 26 of theillustrated arrangement to a desired location on the base board 22. Theguide pin block 32 preferably is injection molded of a suitable plastic.The guide pin block 32 desirably is sized and configured to receive thedocking connector 26 as best illustrated in FIG. 3. In the illustratedarrangement, the guide pin block 32 includes a recess (not shown) thatsubstantially encases and captures the docking connector 26.

The illustrated guide pin block 32 also includes holes (not shown) thatreceive threaded fasteners (also not shown). In addition, the base board22 preferably includes complementary holes 34 to receive the samethreaded fasteners (not shown). The threaded fasteners (not shown)secure the guide pin block 32 and the entrapped docking connector 26along an edge of the top surface 24 of the base board 22. Each dockingconnector 26, thus, can be secured to the base board 22. Of course,other mounting arrangements, such as clips, clamps, pins, rings, or thelike also can be used.

The illustrated guide pin block 32 contains at least one, but preferablymore than one, alignment mechanism 36. The alignment mechanism 36cooperates between the guide pin block 32 and the flexible circuitassembly 30. In the illustrated arrangement, the alignment mechanism 36comprises a pair of tapered dowel pins 36. The dowel pins 36 are taperedfor a reason that will become apparent. The dowel pins 36 preferably arepress fit into at least one of the guide pin block 32 and the flexiblecircuit assembly 30. In the illustrated arrangement, the dowel pins 36are press fit into holes 38 formed the guide pin block 32. As will beexplained, the dowel pins 36 are adapted to be received within a pair ofholes 40 in the flexible circuit assembly 30.

While the dowel pins 36 preferably are tapered or stepped, it isanticipated that straight pins and stepped or tapered holes can be used.The tapering or stepping of at least one of the dowel pins and the holesallows the two components, the flexible circuit assembly 30 and theguide pin block 32, to be slightly misaligned before coupling and thenfacilitates alignment of the two components 30, 32 as the pins 36 movedeeper within the holes 40. Of course, it is also contemplated that theholes can be disposed within conical shaped bosses 42 formed within acomponent of the flexible circuit assembly 30.

The flexible circuit assembly 30 generally comprises a vertical dockingconnector 44, an industry standard matching hard drive power connector46 and an industry standard matching hard drive signal connector 48. Atthis point, it bears mentioning that up and down, right and left, andother directional identifiers are relative to the illustrated drawingbut have little significance in the orientation of the assembledproduct. In addition, while the docking connector 44 is described as avertical docking connector, it should be apparent from the figures thatthe illustrated arrangement is shown horizontal. From this information,it should be understood that, as indicated above, the illustratedconstruction of the preferred arrangement is a tower having the drivesdisposed in carriers 28 that extend generally horizontal when installed.It is anticipated, however, that the same construction can be used fordrives that are disposed in carriers 28 that extend generally verticalwhen installed.

With reference to FIG. 4, the flexible circuit assembly also comprises adock clamp 50. The dock clamp 50 comprises a front 52 and a back 54 inthe illustrated arrangement. The two components 52, 54 preferably areinjection molded parts that snap over the vertical docking connector 44on the flexible circuit assembly 30. The back 54 desirably is sized andconfigured to closely correspond to the vertical docking connector 44and can include the conical shaped bosses 42 described above. In otherwords, the back 54 preferably includes an aperture 56 that is sized andconfigured to receive the docking connector 44 such that the dockingconnector 44 can be secured against substantial movement relative to thedock clamp 50 after the dock clamp 50 has been assembled.

The back 54 also preferably includes a channel 58 that accommodates aflat cable 60 or portion of the flexible circuit. The cable 60 can be aPC board or can be a flexible plastic component that provides electricalcommunication between the connectors (input and output) 44, 46, 48. Thecable 60 desirably is captured within the channel 58 between the back 54and the front 52 of the dock clamp 50. Accordingly, the front 52 issized and configured to closely associate with the back 54 in theillustrated arrangement. The illustrated arrangement advantageouslyresults in added strain relief for the flexible cable 60. Preferably,the connectors all are assembled to the cable 60 on the same side asillustrated in FIG. 4. This same-side assembly reduces assembly costs.As illustrated, once the cable is installed in the carrier assembly 28,the cable can be bent or otherwise manipulated such that the connectorsface in appropriate directions. For instance, the connector thatattaches to the docking connector extends in a first direction and theother connectors extend in the opposite direction in the illustratedarrangement. In addition, the flexible cable 60 allows systems arrangedand configured in accordance with certain aspects of the presentinvention to be connected to hardware components 84 that have differingconnector locations.

The front 52 of the dock clamp 50 preferably comprises a mountingstructure 62. In the illustrated arrangement, the mounting structure 62comprises a pair of mounting bosses 62. The mounting bosses 62 canaccommodate fasteners 64 that are used to attach the dock clamp 50 to acarrier 28. In the illustrated arrangement, the mounting structure 62reinforces the dock clamp 50 proximate the location that receives thefasteners 64. As illustrated, the preferred mounting structure 62 usestwo screws 64 and two plastic shoulder washers 66 that are screwedthrough a set of corresponding holes 68 formed in the carrier 28 intothe front 52 of the dock clamp 50.

This mounting arrangement advantageously allows the flexible circuitassembly 30 to float relative to the carrier 28, which will be describedin more detail below. Accordingly, as described above, the floatingaction in combination with the tapered pins 36 and holes 40 facilitatesmating alignment even if the components 30, 32 are slightly misaligneddue to manufacturing tolerance stack-ups or relaxed levels ofmanufacturing tolerance allowances. In most applications, the tolerancecapacity of the connectors is approximately +/−1 mm in the horizontaldirection and approximately +/−0 mm in the vertical direction. Thus, theabove-described construction helps mate the connectors in the even orslight misalignments. Moreover, because this arrangement facilitatesalignment in all directions normal to the axis of the dowel pins 36,manufacturing tolerances can be somewhat relaxed such that themanufacturing costs can be greatly decreased.

The illustrated flexible circuit assembly also comprises a powerconnector clamp 70. The power connector clamp 70 comprises a front 72and a back 74. The front 72 and the back 74 preferably are made ofinjection molded plastic. Similar to the dock clamp 50, the front 72 andthe back 74 desirably snap-fit together. When snapped together over thehard drive power connector 46 in the illustrated arrangement, the powerconnector clamp 70 provides strain relief as well as gripping surfacesfor the assembly-person to hold onto during installation and removal.

In addition, the illustrated flexible circuit assembly comprises asignal connector clamp 76. The signal connector clamp 76 comprises afront 78 and a back 80 that preferably are manufactured by injectionmolding of plastic. The front 78 and the back 80 desirably snap fittogether to substantially encase the hard drive signal connector 48 toprovide stain relief and a gripping surface in much the same manner asthe power connector clamp 70.

The carrier assembly 28 generally comprises a box 82 into which ahardware component 84 (e.g., an ATA or other hard drive) can be mountedfor installation into the cabinet 10. The hardware component 84 can be ahard drive, a 3.5″ disk drive, a CD-ROM drive, a DVD drive, a solidstate storage drive, or another type of peripheral device. As isgenerally known to those of ordinary skill in the art, a pair of rails86 preferably is assembled to the box 82. One of the rails 86 desirablyis mounted to one side of the box 82 while a second of the rails 86desirably is mounted to an opposite side of the box 82. Twocorresponding rails 88 preferably are attached to the cabinet 10 or anassociated chassis. The rails 86, 88 preferably are injection moldedplastic parts that are made from an Acetal material or other lubriciouscomponent such that friction between the mating rails 86, 88 can bedecreased. Moreover, in particularly advantageous arrangements, the twomating rails 86, 88 are closely aligned to reduce relative movementbetween the cabinet 10 and the box 82. This close alignment increasesthe ability of the system to withstand shock and vibration.

The hardware component 84, which can be an ATA hard drive or any othersuitable peripheral device, is mounted to the carrier box 82 of thecarrier assembly 28 by suitable fastening arrangements. In theillustrated arrangement, four screws 90 extend through apertures 92 inthe carrier box 82 and thread into receiving holes 94 on the hardwarecomponent 84 that are standard in the industry. The screws 90 preferablyextend into the bottom receiving holes 94 on the hard drive 84 becausethis mounting arrangement eases assembly and reduces movement of thehard drive 84 resulting from shock and vibration experienced by thesystem in general and the carrier assembly 28 specifically. Moreover,the mounting position of the hardware component within the carrierassembly preferably does not substantially vary regardless of the designof the selected hardware component. In other words, arrangements made inaccordance with certain aspects of the present invention preferably canaccommodate hardware components having differing connector locationswithout varying the mounting location of the hardware components withinthe carrier assembly. This results in a decreased overall dimension tothe carrier, the chassis and the unit as a whole. As described above,the flexible circuit assembly can accommodate hardware components havingvarious connector locations, which results in an added degree offlexible that is associated with certain features of the presentinvention.

The carrier box 82 in the illustrated arrangement features a bottom andthree side walls. Accordingly, the front shield is substantially open.In the illustrated arrangement, a front shield 96 is provided. The frontshield 96 of the carrier box 82 preferably is perforated or has otherstructures that accommodate the cooling airflow A. For instance, thefront shield 96 also can comprise a number of air flow apertures toincrease air flow through the carrier across the mounted drive or otherhardware component 84. This arrangement advantageously directs thecooling airflow across the mounted hardware component 84.

The front shield 96 also preferably comprises a number of spring fingers98 on each side that contact inner or outer surfaces (not shown) of thecabinet 10 or an associated chassis. In the illustrated arrangement, thespring fingers 98 frictionally engage the inner surface of the chassisto better secure the box 84 within the cabinet 10. This arrangementadvantageously provides electromagnetic interference containment andelectrostatic discharge protection by further improving the groundingconnection between the mounted hardware component 84 and the chassis orthe cabinet 10.

The illustrated front shield 96 also includes a top opening 99. The topopening 99 preferably is formed by splitting a portion of the frontshield 96 and bending two separated portions outward. This forms a pairof tabs that define the top opening 99 of the front shield 96. Inaddition, the front shield 96 can be attached to the carrier assembly inany suitable manner. For instance, the front shield 96 can be riveted,fastened, welded, brazed or otherwise secured to the carrier assembly28.

A carrier face 100 is provided that provides an aesthetically-pleasingappearance to the carrier assembly 28 when combined with the cabinet 10.Preferably, the carrier face 100 is manufactured by injection moldingplastic. The carrier face 100 includes a hole 101 (FIG. 1) of anydesired shape and dimension. Preferably, the hole 101 accommodates anadequate flow of air through the carrier assembly 28 and the chassis.The hole 101 also preferably serves as a finger access to a release hook102 provided within the carrier face 100 and to allow the carrier face100 to act as a handle that actuates a cam lock-down and releasefeature, which will be described.

As will be understood, the hook 102 is sized and configured to extendrearward through the opening 99 formed in the front shield 96. Moreover,a portion of the hook 102 catches on an inner surface of the frontshield 96 adjacent the opening 99. Thus, with the hook 102 engaged onthe inner surface of the illustrated front shield 96, or any othersuitable surface that is connected to the carrier assembly 28, thecabinet 10 or the chassis, the carrier face 100 can be secured in aclosed position.

The carrier face 100 preferably is pivotally attached to the carrierassembly 28. In the illustrated arrangement, the carrier face 100 andthe carrier assembly 28 are connected with a dowel pin (not shown) and acarrier pivot 104. The carrier pivot 104 can be attached to the carrierassembly 28 in any suitable manner. In the illustrated arrangement, thecarrier pivot is attached using threaded fasteners. Of course, othermounting arrangements, such as rivets, welds, snaps, pins, clips, hooksand the like.

The carrier face 100 also includes a cam surface 106 on arearward-facing surface. In the illustrated arrangement, a pair of camsurfaces 106 is used and the carrier box 82 is notched to provideoperating clearance for the cam surfaces 106. The cam surface 106 worksin conjunction with the chassis or a surface 107 of the cabinet 10 toaid in smooth insertion and extraction of the carrier assembly 28. Thecombination reduces the likelihood that the carrier assembly 28 (and anycomponent disposed with the carrier or attached to the carrier) will besubstantially jarred or shocked during insertion or removal. As thecarrier assembly 28 is inserted into the drive cage defined within thecabinet 10, the final travel of the carrier assembly 28 is accomplishedby pivoting the carrier face 100 to “pull” the carrier assembly 28further into the drive cage using the cam surfaces 106. By using theface to pull the carrier assembly the final engagement distance, themating connectors on the base board and on the disk drive assemblyengage in a controlled and calculated manner. Likewise, to remove acarrier assembly 28, the carrier face 100 is pivoted so that the camsurfaces 106 “push” the carrier assembly 28 outward for a shortdistance. This prevent careless assembly or maintenance workers fromdamaging the hardware components 84 or the docking connectors by pushingthe carrier assembly 28 in too fast, or by removing the carrier assemblytoo rapidly. For instance, pulling a disk drive out too fast while thedisk is spinning could result in damage to the read/write heads or tothe magnetic media.

A carrier face biasing member 108 advantageously is disposed to hold thecarrier face 100 in a first position prior to insertion of the carrierassembly 28 into the cabinet 10. In the illustrated arrangement, thebiasing member 108 is a leaf spring. Of course, it is contemplated thatany of a number of types of biasing members, such as compressionsprings, torsion springs, flexible membranes, and the like, can be used.The carrier face 100 moves to a second position following insertion ofthe carrier assembly 28 into the cabinet 28. With the carrier assembly28 installed within the cabinet 10, the illustrated carrier face 100 canbe moved, or is urged by a corresponding structure on the cabinet 10, toa closed position. In a closed position, the carrier face 100 isgenerally flush with the cabinet opening into which the carrier assembly28 is inserted. With the carrier face 100 in the closed position, theintegral hook 102 locks the carrier face 100 in its closed position andthe cam surfaces 106 secure the carrier assembly 28 in the cabinet 28 bylatching over the dowel pin secured in the carrier pivot 104.Importantly, in some applications, as the carrier face 100 is openedfrom the closed position, the carrier hook 100 presses against acounteracting surface and releases the dowel pin to urge the carrierassembly 28 outward from the cabinet 28 for extraction from the cabinet28 and chassis.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of a certainembodiment, other embodiments apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart also are within the scope of this invention. Thus, various changesand modifications may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. Moreover, not all of the features, aspects andadvantages are necessarily required to practice the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer system comprising a circuit board anda first connector mounted to said circuit board, a drive secured to acarrier and having a drive connector disposed on a surface, said circuitboard extending in a direction generally normal to said surface, saidcarrier comprising an electrical conduit, said electrical conduitcomprising a mating connector and a blind-plug, said mating connectorbeing adapted to connect to said drive connector and said blind-plugbeing adapted to couple to said first connector.
 2. The system of claim1, wherein said drive comprises a logic connector and a power connector.3. The system of claim 1, wherein said blind-plug is capable of movementrelative to said carrier.
 4. The system of claim 3 further comprising analignment mechanism being secured to said circuit board.
 5. The systemof claim 4, wherein said alignment mechanism substantially encases saidfirst connector.
 6. The system of claim 4, wherein said alignmentmechanism comprises an alignment pin.
 7. The system of claim 6, whereinsaid alignment mechanism comprises an additional alignment pin.
 8. Thesystem of claim 6, wherein said alignment pin is tapered with a smallerend extending away from an end secured to said circuit board.
 9. Anelectronic system comprising an enclosure, a base board positionedwithin said enclosure, said base board comprising a docking connectorfixed to a surface of said base board, a drive carrier being adapted forinsertion into said enclosure along a first axis, a drive being disposedwithin said drive carrier, said drive having a connector disposed alonga first surface, said first axis extending in a direction generallyparallel to said base board and an electrical conduit extending betweensaid connector of said drive and said docking connector of said baseboard.
 10. The system of claim 9 wherein said surface of said base boardto which said docking connector is fixed extends parallel to said firstaxis.
 11. The system of claim 9 further comprising an alignmentmechanism disposed along said base board.
 12. The system of claim 9further comprising a second drive carrier being adapted or insertioninto said enclosure along a second axis that is parallel to said firstaxis, said base board comprising a second docking connector to which anelectrical conduit of said second drive carrier can be connected. 13.The system of claim 11, wherein said alignment mechanism comprises atleast one alignment pin.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein said atleast one alignment pin tapers.
 15. The system of claim 13, wherein saidat least one pin is adapted to mate with an aperture connected to saiddrive carrier.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein said aperture canmove relative to said drive carrier.
 17. A pluggable drive carriercomprising a carrier body adapted to receive a drive and having anoutside surface, a blind plug connector mounted to said outside surface,an electrical conduit being electrically coupled to said blind plugconnector, a second connector being secured to said electrical conduitand said second connector being capable of being disposed within saidcarrier body.
 18. The carrier of claim 17, wherein said second connectorcomprises a logic connector and a power connector.
 19. The carrier ofclaim 17, wherein said electrical conduit is a flexible circuit and saidsecond connector and said blind plug connector extend outward from asingle side of said flexible circuit.
 20. The carrier of claim 17,wherein said blind plug connector is capable of movement relative tosaid carrier.